Pa expresses fear about ___________ among the woman in the Weedpatch camp, using Ma as an example

Pa expresses fear about ___________ among the woman in the Weedpatch camp, using Ma as an example

• A. The women are taking control
• B. The women are gossiping
• C. The women are becoming disobedient
• D. The women are plotting escape

Answer: (A)

The main idea being tested is Pa’s fear that women in the Weedpatch camp are taking control, using Ma as the example. Ma embodies practical leadership—she helps organize the camp, keeps order, and speaks up in group decisions—traits that challenge the traditional male authority of the family and the men who run the camp. Seeing Ma step into and exercise that influence makes Pa uneasy about his own standing and about how decisions are made in the community. This broader worry about shifting power, rather than concerns about chatter, disobedience, or plotting an escape, is why the idea of the women taking control is the best choice. The other options miss the larger dynamic of authority and influence that Pa is reacting to.

The main idea being tested is Pa’s fear that women in the Weedpatch camp are taking control, using Ma as the example. Ma embodies practical leadership—she helps organize the camp, keeps order, and speaks up in group decisions—traits that challenge the traditional male authority of the family and the men who run the camp. Seeing Ma step into and exercise that influence makes Pa uneasy about his own standing and about how decisions are made in the community. This broader worry about shifting power, rather than concerns about chatter, disobedience, or plotting an escape, is why the idea of the women taking control is the best choice. The other options miss the larger dynamic of authority and influence that Pa is reacting to.